Node 2 - Translational Medicine at the St. James's Hospital Site
St. James's Hospital already contains the Institute of Molecular Medicine and the National Centre for Advanced Medical Imaging. In addition the site hosts the Irish Blood Transfusion Service and the National Stem Cell Transplant service. Hence crucial areas for development within this node will include the development of translational capacity in the Biomedical Sciences based on molecular medicine, advanced imaging and relationships with the Schools at the main campus in structural biology and medicinal chemistry.
In addition it is proposed to develop further capacity in regenerative medicine on this site utilising the strengths of the IBTS service. Given that Ireland only licensed stem cell facility is contained at this node, we anticipate that this could lead to the potential for development of stem cell therapeutics in regenerative medicine in areas such as cardiovascular science, neuroscience and endocrinology.
The facility contains the Institute of Molecular Medicine which is equipped to provide for state of the art research in immunology, genetics, cancer and neurobiology. The facility contains the Centre for High Content Analysis which is one of the leading centres at a European level in this area and the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics which is also a leading centre in international terms in the study of genetics of diseases such as schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder. In these areas there is considerable overlap with the aims of Node 1 and already considerable co-operation between these areas.
This site will also contain the Wellcome Trust/Health Research Board Clinical Research Centre which will contain facilities for gene therapy, dendritic cell therapy and advanced clinical research. This facility is in direct apposition with the National Centre for Advanced Medical Energy and which contains a 3 T MRI scanner for research use only. The development of new translational relationships between the imaging service and the other technologies based within Trinity College such as nanotechnology and animal imaging provides for the capacity to develop rapidly to a position of international excellence in this area.
Enabling technologies include technologies which are currently strongly present in Node 1 and these include areas such as informatics and biostatistics which are required for high-grade statistical genetics. It is anticipated that there will be increasing co-operation between Node 1 and Node 2 for the development of real critical mass and strength in this area.
In order to remain internationally competitive, this node will have to develop new functional data from the strong genetic data which is emerging and to utilise such data for the development of new biomarkers and new therapeutics. The high-content analysis facility provides the capacity to potentially screen human genome for utilising inhibitory molecules such as siRNA molecules and to either generate new therapeutic targets using this technology or to utilise siRNA technology itself for the development of new therapeutics. The rapid generation of translational capacity through genetics functional genomics, high-content analysis and medicinal chemistry will have to be core activity of this node.
Regenerative medicine is an area where new clinical applications are starting to emerge. Crucially the application of the utilisation of bone marrow stem cells has proven to be beneficial in areas such as cardiology and with potential applications within the central nervous system and in the pancreas. As the facility at the IBTS is the only licensed facility at a national level, it is crucial that we rapidly exploit this technology for the benefit of patients at a national level.
The research strategy at this node should synergise directly with the strategy at node 1 with applicability of population based studies and biostatistics and bio-epidemiology also applicable to the research at this node. In addition there are considerable existing and developing relationships with areas such as structural biology, integrated biology/physiology and medicinal chemistry on the Node 3 site which have the capacity to provide powerful translational strengths into the future.
